A Very Newsies Christmas
by Hypergalaxy
Summary: Join the Newsies on their Christmas antics as they meet a young girl on the run from her family, and deal with Secret Santa hijinks. Written as a collab with Swimming Poole, and featuring Katherine from the stage version! My first project!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hiya, fellas! Here's a little something I wrote with Swimming-Poole! (Don't forget to check out his profile!) It's the first time I'm writing a Newsies fanfic, so be easy on me! HOWEVER, it's NOT the first time I posted a fanfic to the internet. I might revise this later, but until then, here's something to enjoy for the holiday season!

Note that this is an AU fanfic, not really a lot of drastic changes though. The majority of this universe is based on the movie, with elements of the stage version thrown in. Sarah doesn't exist in this universe, and I instead decided to throw Katherine in there! :)

Alright, enough talk. Enjoy!

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><p>December 1899.<p>

Just a little past midnight, the first snow of the year began to fall in Manhattan. Lightly, at first, but as the hours passed, it started to fall heavier.

In a deserted alleyway sat a young girl of 11 years. Far away from where she lived, or rather, once lived, huddled in a corner, wrapped in a blanket, with only the glow of the blazing fire to keep her company, she pulled out what little food she had left in her bag and began to eat. She was on the run from what was supposed to be her home, and didn't want to go back to what she was facing there for the past six months. For the past week and a half, she was traveling all throughout the boroughs of New York, trying to keep hidden from the horrible people she had to stay with. All she had with her were a pack of matches and a dollar and some cents she snatched from those people the night she ran away, the blanket that had stayed with her since she was a baby, and some clothes for boys that she found to mask her true identity.

By daybreak, it was still snowing, and Manhattan was covered in snow all over. People were struggling to keep the snow shoveled and under control, and kids were playing around all over town.

Meanwhile, in a certain lodging house in Downtown Manhattan, a bunch of teenage boys were asleep in their bunks, most of them with extra blankets due to the now cold weather. All their dreams were suddenly interrupted by the calling of a voice that called, "Wake up! Get up, boys! Time to hawk the headlines! Carry the banner!"

All the Newsies groaned as they were bombarded with Kloppmann's calls. However, this morning, his calls had an addition, "Make sure you bundle up tight today! Looks like Jack Frost is paying us a visit!"

Upon hearing these calls, Crutchy bolted up, grabbed his crutch, and hobbled over to a nearby window. His eyes widened with childish excitement at the sight of all the snow outside, and he was soon joined by a swarm of other boys. "Jack!" He cried over to the bunk above his. "Kloppmann ain't kiddin'! It's all white outside, and it's still fallin'!"

Nearby, Jack "Cowboy" Kelly, leader of the newsies, was still asleep in his bunk, just like a few other Newsies that despised mornings. Half asleep, he turned his head to look at the winter wonderland outside, "Huh? Oh, yeah, it's snowin'." He fell back onto the pillow, eyes shut, then they suddenly bolted open again as he realized what was going on. "IT'S SNOWIN'!?" He jumped up and out of bed as he rushed to the windows to have a peek at the icy sights outside himself. "You're right, Crutchy! No kiddin'!"

"Yeah! Foist snow o' da year!" Racetrack exclaimed in delight.

"Bet they don't got none of this in Santa Fe, huh, Jack?" Mush laughed over to Jack.

Behind them, Kloppmann called to them, "Yeah, well, if you want some of that winter wonderland, you'd better go out and hawk those headlines!"

The Newsies rushed away from the windows and towards the washroom and begun to get ready to sell on their first snow day of the year. As they were discussing where they should sell, Snitch pulled Itey aside. "Ite! Word!" he called to his bunkmate.

"What is it?" Itey asked.

"Okay, I have an idea for dis year." Snitch said with a smile on his face.

"Alright, tell me," Itey replied curiously.

Snitch leaned in closer so that the others wouldn't hear. "Okay, now, know how every year we make a Christmas tree out of lumber scraps that Crutchy finds?"

"Yeah? What of it?" Itey questioned.

Snitch smiled. "I've been thinkin' and plannin' this since the middle o' November."

"And 'this' refers to…?" Itey asked with a bit of confusion in his voice.

A big grin spread across Snich's face as he said with delight, "This year, we's gonna have a real Christmas tree!"

"Oh, great!...How are we gonna get one?" Itey asked with more confusion.

"Simple." Snitch told him.

As he begun to whisper his plan in Itey's ear, Kid Blink observed them nearby with a bit of suspicion and confusion. He murmured over to Jack, "Bettah keep an eye on dose two. They look like they's up to somethin'."

"No kiddin'," Jack replied as he was buttoning his shirt. "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on dem." Pretty soon, all the Newsies were finished getting ready and rushed outside, ready to hawk the headlines in a winter wonderland for the first time this year.

Outside, the boys, bundled up in their overcoats, scarves, gloves and mittens, and more warm wear, (and of course, Jack in his cowboy hat with a warm scarf over his bandana) were all filled with childish excitement as they jumped and frolicked in the snow together. Bumlets and Swifty purposely fell down and started making snow angels, while Kid Blink and Mush got into a snowball fight together.

Crutchy piped up, "Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue! It's fun!" Soon, all the Newsies were walking around with their tongues sticking out.

"Needs a little sugar," Racetrack stated as he caught one.

"Cold on my tongue!" Pie Eater cried out.

As they continued to catch snowflakes on their tongues, they suddenly caught sight of two familiar faces. An excited Les was rushing up to them, pulling a sled behind him, while David was struggling to catch up, constantly falling in the snow. "Fellas, fellas! Look what I got!" Les shouted.

"Les, slow down, you know I don't walk very well in the snow!" David shouted behind him.

The Newsies looked on in surprise as they saw the brand new sled Les had with him, and it wasn't even Christmas yet!

"Wow, Les!" Mush exclaimed at the sight of Les' sled. "You get Christmas presents early?"

"Uh, no, actually." David said. "It's not really a Christmas present. We…actually celebrate the holiday season a little differently."

"Really?" Jack asked. "How so?"

"Well, for starters, we don't really have a Christmas tree. Instead, we have something called a Menorah. And we don't eat Christmas ham either."

"Hold it," Jack said. "Are you saying you's is…Jewish?"

"Yep," David said. "We celebrate Hanukkah."

"Harmonica?" Racetrack asked.

"No, Hanukkah. It's a Jewish holiday. Maybe I can explain it a little more to you." David told them as they all nodded.

"Hanukkah's great," Les said excitedly. "We get presents for EIGHT DAYS!"

The Newsies piped up in conversation upon hearing Les's words. They were so engrossed in conversation about the holiday, that before they knew it, they were finally at the gates.

As the boys approached the gates, they begun to talk about where they were planning to sell and what they wanted to do for the holiday season, and Racetrack (of course) started to think about which horse he would bet on. Suddenly, a mysterious new boy with unusual, delicate, detailed features on his face whom no one had ever seen before shyly made his way over to the gate as he waited for them to open. He was adjusting and holding onto his cap a lot, which made him look a little suspicious, and he seemed to want to be hidden out of sight.

"Hey, Jack! Who's da new kid?" Racetrack asked.

"I don't know. Haven't seen him around before." Jack replied. He approached the boy and asked him, "Hey, what's wrong with you, kid?" he asked.

"What's it to ya?" The boy said in an unusually gruff voice.

"Woah, woah, woah, easy on da attitude, kid. You just seemed a little uneasy and I just wanted to know if youse was alright."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew his cap right off his head, which revealed his long, wiry, dark brown hair, and, apparently, a secret he was hiding.

He was actually a SHE!

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><p>Well, what do you think guys? Good? Bad? Neutral? Let me know in a review!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Nearby, two sinister, familiar faces spotted our 'Sweet Polly Oliver' (A/N: LOL, TV Tropes!) and begun to remark on what they had just seen.

"Well, well, well! Hey, Morris! Looks like we got a little girl in our midsts!" Oscar said to his brother.

"Miss?" Morris questioned jokingly.

"No, midst!" Oscar said back to him.

"Ah, never mind! Let's go rough her up, anyway!" The Delancey's made their way towards the little girl. Her bag had spilled in the process of retrieving her hat, and she was struggling to gather up her things. Suddenly, a shadow cast over her. She looked up, and there was Morris, standing right in front of her, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Hello, little girl!" he greeted her.

She looked up at him, a little uneasy, "Oh, uh, hi there. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She tried running in the other direction, only to be blocked by Oscar, who was also mischievously grinning at her.

"And what's a little girl like you, doin' around here?" he taunted her. She tried backing away, only to have Morris grab her bag from behind.

"P-please, just leave me alone, I don't want any trouble…" she begged for mercy as Morris went through her things.

"Hmmm…" Morris said as he pulled an apple from her bag and tossed it to his brother. "Whaddaya say, Oscar? Wanna split this between us?"

"Please," the girl begged. "Don't take that from me, it's the only food I have right now!"

"It's all the food we'll take then!" Oscar called over to her as he caught the apple.

The Delancey's continued to tease her until they were approached by a very angry looking Jack Kelly. "Hello, Oscar and Morris," he said to them. "It looks like you have reached a new low: taking the only food from an innocent, helpless little goil!"

"What's it to ya, Cowboy?" Morris said to his face.

"What's it to me? Well, it's the only food to her, so having her food taken is something to me! Huh?" Jack flicked Morris' nose, and the brothers chased after him. Jack, of course, was quick and nimble (hehehehe), climbing over and rolling underneath carts he passed until he was underneath the awning of a bakery. The Delancey's approached him, then he jumped up and hit the top of the awning, and the brothers were bombarded and buried by an avalanche of snow from above. They poked their heads out of the pile of snow that covered them and look at Jack defeatedly.

"Merry Christmas, jerks," Jack said smugly, grabbing the apple from them. He went back to the girl, shined the apple on his shirt and gave it back to her, and helped her gather her things.

"Wow, thank you mister! I don't know what I would've done back there!" She exclaimed.

"Eh, think nothin' of it, kid," Jack told her kindly.

"I only just came to downtown Manhattan yesterday. Today's my first day of being a newsie around here." She told him.

"Well, welcome to Manhattan, kid!" Jack told her as all the Newsies lined up to buy their papers.

Jack knocked on Weasel's window, "Oh, Mr. Weasel…" he said quietly.

"Yeah? Whaddaya want, Cowboy? How much?" Weasel said as he opened up shop.

"Da usual. 100 papes, plus an extra 50 for me new little pal here," Jack said as he patted the girl on her head and slammed his coins on the counter.

"Really? That many?" the girl asked him.

"Yeah, 'cause some of us can't really afford too many," Jack told her.

"Wow, thanks," she thanked him.

A little further down the line, Les glared at her with a jealous look on his face. "Cowboy's supposed to be my hero!" He said to himself.

"Calm down, Les." David said to him. "Jack still cares about you. I mean, we went through a strike together, after all!"

"Strike?" the girl asked. "Oh, yeah, I heard about that!"

"Well, I guess you've heard about me den, right?" Jack asked her.

"You?" The girl asked.

"Yep, I was the one who led it all. Name's Jack Kelly, but you can call me Cowboy, leader of the Manhattan Newsies, cowboy, and overall fella to turn to!" he said triumphantly. "And your name is…?"

The girl leaned in to whisper to him, "My real name is Charlotte, but I would prefer to be called…" she leaned back and said in a normal-toned voice, "Charlie!"

Charlotte, uh, I mean Charlie spit in her hand and offered it to Jack, who did the same and shook her hand, "Nice to meet ya, Charlie! And dis is David and Les, they're two of my closest friends and sellin' partners!" Charlie did a spit-shake with a reluctant David, and Les, who was still sulking. Jack reassured him, "Don't worry, Les, youse is still me best kid." Les smiled up at his hero with admiration. "I'm just helping her out a little." Les nodded in approval upon hearing his hero's reassuring words.

"I'm not really going to need that much help, I have a feeling I can do this on my own." Charlie said as Jack handed her her 50 papers.

They headed outside the gates together as the rest of the Newsies bought their papers. Charlie looked at herself in a reflection, seeing if she passed off as a boy well enough, keeping her hair tucked in her hat. "Yeah, now you know why I prefer to be called Charlie."

"Yeah, I can see dat." Jack said, contemplating her boyish appearance.

"So, do I look burly enough?" She turned to Jack when she was done adjusting her look, trying to put on a good Newsie act.

Jack looked at her, "Uh…no, but you do look girly! Hahaha!" Jack said with a laugh. "I'm just kiddin', don't worry. Anyway, you look okay. Decent attempt, but if you really wanna act burly, stick with me." He said. "So, youse gots a family?" Jack asked her.

Charlie shook her head, "Oh, no, I'm an orphan, running away from the so-called 'home' I had." Charlie told him with a gray look on her face.

"Eh, me and my friends have all been there, kid. It ain't pretty, trust me." Jack said.

"I've been on my own for almost two weeks now. I've had odd jobs and done some strange things to keep myself living until I can find a more suitable home for myself." Charlie said. "Let me tell you, it's kind of annoying and difficult faking a disabled leg to get some sympathy from people."

Unfortunately, Crutchy had to be right behind her when she said that. "EXCUSE ME?" he said shockingly as she turned around and gasped with an embarrassed look on her face. "Gee, thanks for takin' food outta me mouth!"

"Oh! H-hi," Charlie said nervously. "Who are you?"

"Dis is Crutchy, one of me closest pals." Jack told her. "He's a real crip, not a faker."

"Yeah, 'cause I don't like it when people fake it!" Crutchy said with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Don't worry, I don't do it anymore, it didn't work so well for me, so why would I bother continuing?" Charlie said.

"Dat's good, 'cause we real crips need it more!" Crutchy said.

"I've learned my lesson, honest!" she said, holding her hands up.

Jack chuckled to himself. "Anyways, also, there's Racetrack, Mush, Kid Blink, Boots, Skittery, Snipeshooter, Specs, Pie Eater, Bumlets, Dutchy, Swifty, Snoddy, Jake…eh, I don't know where Snitch and Itey went…" he said, introducing the rest of the Newsies.

"It's great to meet you all." Charlie said. "I think we should go, how do you say it?"

"Carryin' da banner?" Jack said.

"Yeah, that!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Alright! I'll teach youse all you needs to know about sellin' papes!" Jack said as they all went out to carry the banner.

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><p>AN: Whew! Chapter two is finally done. Did I write the Delancey brothers okay? (Eh, who cares about them anyways. XD) I'd love to accept any criticism you have for the story, it never hurts to improve and perfect your work! Might do some revising later if I have the chance. Special thanks to my lovely Swimming Poole for helping me write this lovely story, and a huge thank you to my two reviewers! Keep 'em comin'! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be sent to the refuge!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So sorry for the long wait, people! I've had a terrible case of writer's block for the past few weeks, and I had other stuff in the way. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Better late than never, right? Well, anyways, Chapter 3 is finally here. Enjoy, everyone!

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><p>As Jack, David, and Les went of on the streets of Manhattan to sell their papers, Charlie joined alongside them. "Hmmmm," she said to herself as she observed the headline. "Seems like a decent headline. Looks like it'll sell well today."<p>

Jack listened to her words, thought for a second, then decided it was time to teach her an important tip to being a newsie. He looked down at her, "Y'know, Charlie, sellin' papes ain't always about da headline," Jack said to her.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked confusedly.

"Well, if we Newsies always went by sellin' with only what da headline said, we'd be broker than ever," Jack told her.

"Then how do you guys make your profits?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, dear, here we go…" David said exasperatedly.

"It's about time you learned about what I like to call, 'improvin' da truth', It's an important tip all of us Newsies must know," Jack said with a smile.

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

"Well, let's see, improvin' da truth, how do I explain this," Jack begun to explain, "Well, it ain't really lyin', it's just, eh, makin' the story more interestin'. Let's see, uh, a few months ago, there was a trash fire next to an immigration building. It fried some seagulls, kind of boring, if ya ask me. If we told da truth, like what Davey would have done…" Jack said as he glanced over at Davey, who just rolled his eyes in response. "We wouldn't sell any papes! So, I told them Ellis Island was in flames, and hey, dry bought da whole stack!"

"Yeah, they did," Davey said with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"So, yeah, it ain't really lyin', but more exaggeratin'" Jack said to her with a smile.

Charlie nodded in response. Suddenly, the four of them noticed a wealthy well-to-do woman walking by. Charlie, now knowing the important tip Jack wanted to teach her, ran up to the woman and showed her one of her papers. She said with a bit of excitement in her voice, "Excuse me, ma'am! A factory in the Bronx went up in flames! Wanna buy a pape?" The woman, slightly annoyed, reached into her purse, pulled out a nickel, gave it to her, and took the paper from her hands. Charlie, as you could imagine, was very excited about this. "Oh, boy!" She rushed to tell Jack what happened. "Jack, look! I made a profit! How was that?"

Jack, who had been watching her sell this whole time, told her, "Hmmm…that was…okay. But, ya gotta say it more like dis, now watch me…" Jack cleared his throat, stood up straight, and projected his voice out onto the streets of Manhattan:

"EXTRA, EXTRA! FACTORY IN THE BRONX GOES UP IN FLAMES! BIG CONFILBRATION!"

"Wow! Your voice is powerful!" Charlie remarked.

A man walked up to Jack, and quickly asked him, "Oh, really? Which page?"

"Page five, you heard it from me!" Jack said as he was handed a few pennies and gave the man the paper he was showing. Charlie was impressed.

"Yeah, dat's how we Newsies usually sell our papes." Jack told her. David let out an exasperated grunt and buried his eyes in his hand, shaking his head.

"You alright, David?" Charlie asked him.

"Let's just say that when it comes to 'improving the truth', Jack, well…" David said.

"You don't really like his improving the truth, do you?" Charlie asked him. David nodded.

"So, how old are you anyways, Charlie?" Jack asked her.

"I'm eleven. Just turned eleven." Charlie told him.

"Wow, similar age to Les!" Jack said.

"Speaking of Les, where is he?" David asked.

Nearby, Les was pretending to shiver underneath his overcoat, and coughing, he approached a kindly old woman. "Buy a pape from a cold, sick little boy, ma'am?" he begged.

The woman smiled. "Oh, yes. Here you go." She reached into her purse and pulled out a penny and a dime. "And here's a little extra. You seem rather cold. Get yourself some hot chocolate." the woman walked away, smiling.

"Oh, boy!" Les said with excitement. "C'mon, David! You heard what she said! Let's get some hot chocolate!" David fainted on his back into a snow bank from the absurdity of what he was experiencing. "David, now's not the time to make snow angels, we have papes to sell!" Les exclaimed.

Jack looked at David. "Les, I don't think that's a snow angel. Right now he looks more like a snow corpse. He looks pretty stiff."

After Jack and Les helped David up, they continued to sell their papers. Suddenly, they saw a familiar face by a glass figurine shop. Jack's eyes lit up. "Katherine!"

"Oh, Jack!" Katherine Plumber said upon spotting her Newsie friends. "Happy Holidays!"

"Same to you, Kat." Jack said with a smile.

Katherine looked down at Charlie. "And who's this?" she asked.

"Oh, dis is Charlie. He's a new kid, a new Newsie." Jack said.

"Oh, you mean he's a NEW-sie?" Katherine said with a laugh.

"Yeah, dat." Jack said with a chuckle of his own. "So, uh, what is you lookin' at in da window?" he asked her.

"See that glass bird right there?" Katherine asked him.

"Yeah, it sure is pretty," he answered.

"I know, it would look so cute next to my glass horse at home," Katherine sighed as she admired it for a few more minutes.

"I bet it would," Jack said as he looked at it as well.

"Well, I'd better get going; I have some articles to write about this crazy winter weather. See you soon, Jack!" Katherine said as she went off.

"Bye, Kat!" Jack called out to her. He turned back to the gift shop's window got a glance at the bird's price tag, _Woah, $1.50. Gonna take a lifetime for someone like me to save up for dat! Wonder if I can do it in time for da holidays._ he thought to himself.

"Cowboy, we have papes to sell! No time to stare at pretty glass birds!" Les snapped Jack out of his fantasy.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Thank you, Les. Don't worry, I'm comin'." Jack moved away from the shop's window and continued walking on with Les, David, and Charlie.

Charlie looked up at him, "Wow, is she your girlfriend?"

Jack's cheeks turned bright pink. "Eh, sorta," he stammered.

Charlie smiled with only one thought on her mind, "Wow, she must feel really lucky. Think that'll ever happen to me someday? I'll grow up beautiful like her and have boys like you fall in love with me…"

Jack had had enough. Not only was he getting a little sickened by her dreamy girl thoughts, but he knew this wasn't going to help her conceal her identity, "Okay, kid, hold up, I's gonna stop you right dere."

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"Woid of advice: If you want to keep up da gruff boy Newsie act, you'd better lay off your interest in mushy love and romance and all dat, alright? People are gonna get suspicious of ya." Jack told her.

Charlie looked down, "Oh, alright then." Then, she got a mischievous idea which lifted her spirits, "Does that mean I can do fun stuff like THIS?" she asked, while kicking a mound of snow in Jack's face.

"Agh! Eh, touche." Jack said as he brushed the snow off of himself.

"I've always wanted to do the rough and tumble stuff boys are seen doing," Charlie said, smiling.

"Dat's the spirit," Jack said, smiling.

Les did the same thing to David; "Agh!" he shouted.

"No touche?" Les asked him.

David answered, "You want a touche? I'll give you a touche. Turn around." Les did as David told him, then he gave Les a gentle kick to the rear. "Tush!" he called out.

"Hey!" Les shouted as he moved forward a little from the kick.

David laughed. "Get it? Tush-hey? Touche?" All four of them laughed at David's joke, then they continued to carry the banner until evening.

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><p>In another part of Manhattan, Snitch and Itey were eyeing a nice, green patch of Christmas trees, all lined up ready to be sold as they hid in an alleyway.<p>

"Perfect," Snitch said as he viewed them from afar.

"So, what's the plan?" Itey asked him.

Snitch recited his plan to Itey that he had been thinking of since the beginning of today, "Okay, the plan is, we split up, then you create a distraction of some sort, and I'll grab the tree. Sound fair?"

Itey shrugged, "That's fair."

Snitch said, "Let's go then!" as they split up.

Itey approached the Christmas Tree salesman, "Uh, 'scuse me, sir?"

"Yes, may I help you, young man?" the salesman asked him.

"I, uh…well, uh…" Itey stuttered as he tried to make up a good act. Nearby, Snitch was burying his face in his palm, as he knew that that would fail the plan for sure.

"Yes, what is it, young man?" the salesman said again.

Itey thought more and more, finally, "I seem to have lost my brother. Could you help me find him?" Itey finally said.

"Well, alright. I can't turn down a boy in need." the salesman said with a smile.

Behind the salesman, Snitch had already finished getting a tree untied and free, and was currently dragging it from the area. The plan was going perfectly. Unfortunately, he accidentally stepped on a branch, and it made a loud snapping sound. The salesman turned around quickly at the sound.

"Hey, you!" he called out to Snitch. The two Newsies took that as the cue to get out of there as soon as possible. The salesman just chuckled to himself and said, "Boys will be boys, I suppose."

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><p>AN: Well, what did you think? Sure hope I wrote Snitch and Itey's scene alright. As I always say, criticism is welcome, but flames will be thrown in the refuge! And a huge thanks to Swimming-Poole for helping me write this! Stay tuned for Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for yet another long wait everyone! My final semester of college is taking over my life! Gah! Luckily, I managed to find some free time to write this for all of you! Things will be a lot better once I graduate! Thanks to all of my reviewers, and I hope you all enjoy this!

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><p>By nightfall that day, the snow had ceased, the weather was calm, David and Les had gone home for the day, and Jack had already finished selling his papers and was helping Charlie sell the last of hers. At this moment, he had stopped to take a break outside of Irving Hall and was listening to Medda's lovely voice. Suddenly, he took notice of an excited Charlie rushing up to him.<p>

"Jack, Jack! I did it! I sold my last pape of the day!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, dat's great, kid! First day, and you're already a natural born Newsie! Couldn't be more proud of ya!" Jack said as he ruffled her hat a little bit.

Charlie started to speak up, "I can't wait 'till…" Suddenly, she started to feel a little dizzy and lost her balance for a second. Jack caught her before she could fall to the ground.

"Youse okay, kid?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she said as she got her balance back.

"You're lookin' a little on the pale side. You sure you's alright?" he said.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm probably just a little exhausted from selling papes all day," Charlie said as she tried to shake it off. "Which is funny, since I'm usually used to doing work much tougher than this," she said.

"Whaddaya mean?" Jack asked her. Charlie suddenly looked a little down.

"Well, I did so many chores at home before I ran away," she said with sadness in her voice. "A lot more than I could handle, mind you."

Jack's good mood faded upon hearing that. "Your parents made ya woik?"

"Actually, it wasn't my parents. They died earlier this year. It was actually my aunt and uncle that made me work for them. They were supposed to care for me after the death of my parents, but instead they made me into their servant girl." Charlie said. "Isn't that horrible?"

"Yeesh," Jack said. "Dat's a Cinderella story if I ever heard one."

"It was, believe me. One day I decided that enough was enough and I thought myself up a plan to escape from them. I gathered up a bunch of boys' clothes while I was out on the town doing some errands for them one day and hid them in my room. Then one night, I changed, grabbed some money and matches from them, and ran off. I dress as a boy because I'm trying to hide from them." Charlie explained.

"Wow. You sure have had it tough," Jack told her.

"Mm-hm. But I'm alright now," Charlie reassured him.

Jack smiled, "Dat's good." Suddenly, he felt a speck of snow on his nose, and he looked up. "Oh, look!" he exclaimed. "It's beginnin' to snow again!"

Charlie observed the icy sight herself. "It is! I guess that means it's time for us to go home then," she said. She took off into the streets of Manhattan. "See you tomorrow, Jack!" she called out.

"Night, kid!" Jack called back to her. Even though he knew she couldn't see it, he gave a slight wave and said quietly, "Merry Christmas," then he started walking back to the lodging house.

Meanwhile, Charlie was trudging through the snowy streets of Manhattan, sneezing and coughing and feeling a little more dizzy than before. She tried to ignore it as she scavenged out the alleyways, trying to find a spot to stay for the night. Didn't take long until she found a nicely sized alley, not too big, not too small, a few crates, and some wood scraps she could use for a fire, and some paper and twigs and garbage she could use for kindling. She put her things down, made a wood pile to be burned into a fire, then she pulled out her blanket and took out her matches. She struck one, lighting it, and lit her fire. Wasn't long until the fire had gone from a few minor flames to a great blaze. She wrapped herself up in her blanket as she tried to control her coughing. She was about to rearrange the alleyway to make a tent of some sort to shield herself from the big snowflakes when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Charlie?" She turned around fast and there was the cowboy himself, peeking in the alleyway.

"Jack!" She exclaimed, a bit of alarm in her voice.

"What are you doin' here? I thought you were goin' home," he said to her.

Charlie spoke up, "I am home." She paused. "Well, I don't really have a home-home, if that's what you're referring to, unless you count my aunt and uncle's house," she said dejectedly.

Jack seemed concerned, "Wait, are you tellin' me dat you live all by yourself? At dis age?"

Charlie nodded. "Pretty much."

Jack started to feel a sadness creep over him. "Den who's lookin' after ya?" he asked her.

"I look after myself." Charlie told him, a bit of confidence in her voice. "I live in nooks and alleyways just like this."

"Don't ya ever get cold or lonely?" Jack asked.

Charlie shook her head. "Lonely, not really. I do get cold, though, but these help with it." She showed him her matches. "These help keep me warm. Well, actually, the fires I make with them keep me warm, but they're a huge help for me."

"Wow," Jack said in response. "Sounds like a story I once read."

"If you're talking about the same story I'm thinking of, I think I might've heard that same story myself. My father used to read tales like that to me when I was little," Charlie told him.

"And dis is exactly how you live?" Jack asked.

"Yep. Been living like this for a while now, until I find myself a more suitable home, which I don't think will be long now…" Charlie replied as she let out a cough. The cough was enough for Jack to come to the realization that he had to tell her the truth about living in conditions like these. He spoke up, "Okay, Charlie, ya know what? I'm gonna be frank with ya." He sat down on a nearby crate, "Dis ain't a good way to live."

"I know," Charlie admitted. "But I'd actually much rather live like this than how I was living with my aunt and uncle!" she said.

Jack was not impressed, "You may have had a terrible life living with your aunt and uncle, but even if this is a step above, ya can't keep living like dis."

Charlie spoke up, "I've been living like this for a few weeks now, and I'm still living!" She wrapped herself up in her blanket to control her shivering.

Jack scoffed, "Yeah, right, and if ya keep on doin' dis, ya probably won't live for another few weeks. Especially with that cough of yours."

Charlie coughed again, "It isn't too serious. It'll probably pass."

"Yeah, it'll pass, and you'll pass, too, as in pass away from pneumonias or somethin'!" Jack suddenly thought of something. He approached Charlie and put his hand on her forehead. She felt very warm. "Oh, yeah, you's is warm," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Charlie, who was feeling more dizzy than ever and wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment.

"You're boinin' up. You're gettin' a fever. I can't leave ya like dis," Jack told her sternly. "Come on, alleyways are no place for a sick girl like you in dis kind of weather." He stood up and held his arm out for her. "Come on, you're comin' with me. Cowboy's orders."

Charlie, now feeling completely weak, laid down with her blanket wrapped around her. "Do you think you could wait until later? I don't really have the strength to stand right now."

Jack realized that things had become more serious than he thought. He put out her fire, gathered her things, and picked her up in his arms. She was pretty light. _I don't think she's been eatin' very much, considering how easy she is to carry._ He said to himself. He said to Charlie, "Don't worry, kid. I'm taking you to a place where you can get nice warm home, warm food, warm everything. It'll all be alright." Charlie squeaked in response, she had started to fall asleep. Jack started walking back to the lodging house, but thoughts chased the idea away. _What if the rest of the Newsies don't know the meaning of 'take it easy'? What would Kloppmann say about this? What if what she has right now is contagious and the others get it?_ He asked himself. As he thought more and more, the idea of keeping her at the lodging house wasn't as great as he thought it was. Then, another idea struck him. He started heading to another place that he knew would be more gentle on her, and was closer, so he could get her to warm shelter in time. _They have to help, they just have to._

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><p>AN: Poor Charlie, but don't worry, things will turn out alright for her! :) Much, much more to come in the future! Well, what do you think everyone? As I say, I'm always open to criticism, and flames will be fizzled out with water! Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow, everyone! Another chapter in less than a month! How about that! Woo there, this is my longest chapter yet! (Until I write another long chapter, that is! ;) BTW-I don't think I should apologize for the lack of Sarah in this story. XD Who cares about her anyway?

P.S. I don't own 'Santa Fe', I just own the Christmas modified lyrics. Enjoy!

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><p>The Jacobs house was calm and quiet at dinnertime when the silence was suddenly broken by a knock at the door.<p>

"I'll get it," David said as he got up and answered. Outside stood Jack, a shivering, pale, unconscious Charlie in his arms. "Jack?" David greeted him.

"Shhh!" Jack told David as he took him outside the apartment. "Look, no time to explain, this girl needs our help."

David looked down at the swaddled Charlie in Jack's arms. "Is that Charlie?" he asked, suddenly recognizing her from this morning.

Jack replied, "From this mornin'? Yep, it's her alright."

David looked at her with concern. "Wow, she isn't doing too well, is she, Jack?"

Les had curiously wandered outside as well to see what was going on. "She looks awfully pale. What can we do?" he asked upon seeing Charlie.

Jack looked at David, "Simple. All's we needs to do is provide her with a warm home." A smile crept across his face.

David was confused. "What do you-" Suddenly, David realized what Jack was implying, and he had only one answer to that, "No. No no no no no. We can't keep her here! Our family's having a hard enough time as it is. Dad is still sore from his injury, and that sled we got for Les wasn't exactly cheap."

"It was lots of fun, though!" Les said with a grin.

Jack sighed in exasperation. "Well, what am I supposed to do with her? I don't think she'll survive the trip to da lodging house in this state, and even if she did, I don't think it would be the best for her right now. You know how we Newsies are."

David bit his lip as he looked down at Charlie, wrapping herself up tighter in her blanket as she tried to hang onto life. "Well, I guess we-"

"What's the big commotion this time of night?" Esther and Mayer suddenly appeared at the door, curious to see what was going on. "Oh, it's Jack!" Mayer said.

"Even though it is nice to see you, what are you doing here?" Esther asked him.

Jack gulped. "H-hi, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs. L-look, I-it was an emergency. I-I, well…" he stammered.

The second they noticed the cold, sick girl in Jack's arms, Esther gasped and seized Charlie into her arms gently but swiftly while Mayer chuckled to himself and said, "Never a dull moment with you, huh, Cowboy?"

Jack smiled. "Nope, I'm afraid not."

"Oh, goodness, she must be chilled to the bone!" Esther said upon seeing her.

Mayer put a hand on her forehead. "And she's ironically burning hot to the touch! What a nasty fever! This blanket isn't going to be enough for her!"

"Yeah, why do ya think I brought her here?" Jack said.

Mayer shouted, "Quick! Where should we put her?" as they all rushed into the apartment.

Esther said the first idea that came to her mind, "Les' bed!"

Les was not pleased at their choice, "What? No! I don't want her to sleep in my bed! What if she has some strange girl disease that I might get?"

Esther said to her youngest, "Les, this isn't the time for that! This is an emergency!" she said as she took off Charlie's winter wear and boots and tucked her into the bed.

"I'll telephone the doctor," Mayer said as he rushed to the phone.

Jack looked down at Charlie with concern. "Hope she'll be alright." he said. Esther put a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder. He smiled in response. She went to boil some water, then she smiled at him. "You always do the right thing, Jack. Even if it's technically at our expenses, at least your heart's in the right place."

Jack nodded in response. "Well, until we find a more suitable home for her, she's gonna be stayin' here, if dat's alright."

"Of course," Esther told him. Jack shivered a little under his coat.

"Well, Charlie looks like she's in good hands now. I think I might as well be go-go…AH-CHOO! Going now." He sneezed and bundled himself up in his coat. _Oh, no. Don't tell me I'm getting what she's getting…_ he thought to himself.

"Jack, are you alright?" Esther asked him upon hearing him sneeze.

"Yeah, I'm a little cold myself, but…" Jack said.

"Are you sure?" she asked him with concern.

"Well, actually, me feet are freezin' and a little sore, and I think me toes are numb from all dis cold…" Jack said.

Esther suddenly had an idea. "Why don't you stay with us for a while?"

Jack replied, "Oh, alright. I guess could use a little warming up myself." He looked over at Charlie, "And, now that I think about it, I think she could use some lookin' after until she's a little better."

Esther smiled as she took his coat. "I'll make you some tea."

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><p>A short time later, Jack was seated in a chair next to a bundled up Charlie, sipping a cup of tea with a blanket around his shoulders and his feet in a metal washtub of water. Esther came over with a cold, wet towel and a kettle of warm water. She filled his washtub with warm water. "How's that? Comfortable?" she asked him.<p>

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. Thanks, Mrs. Jacobs." He gently put the cold cloth on Charlie's forehead to bring her fever down.

From the dinner table, a sulking Les said, "I don't know why I have to be the one to share my bed with her."

"Les, do da right thing. I'm doin' the right thing, and you like to do what Cowboy does, right?" Jack told him. "Be a man."

David patted Les' shoulder. "Be a MENCH."

Jack was confused. "Mench?"

David told him, "It's a Yiddish word. It means 'good person'. It's kind of a Jewish term for 'be a man'."

Jack said, "Alright."

David turned to Les, who sighed,"Okay."

Jack smiled. "Attaboy!"

David turned to Charlie, "How's she doing, Jack?"

Jack felt her forehead, "Looks like she's gettin' better. Her fever's startin' to go down."

"All we need to do is wait for the doctor's instructions," David said as he looked over at his father, who had just finished up with his phone call.

Mayer spoke up, "Okay, I just finished with Dr. Cone, and we're already doing everything he told me we should do. If we keep this up, she should be fine by morning."

Jack said, "And it looks like she's gonna be here for the night."

"Awww!" Les whined. Everyone glared at him. "Oh, okay."

Jack looked at the time, "Well, I might as well be gettin' back to the lodging house. Dem Newsies need me." He finished his tea and dried his feet.

"Now, don't you worry. We'll take good care of her," Esther reassured him as he was putting on his coat and winter wear.

"Thanks, Mrs. Jacobs. I knew I could count on you and your family." Jack said.

Esther smiled. "Remember that you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want. Remember, you're a part of our family, too."

Jack replied. "Thanks, everyone. See ya tomorrow, Davey. Carry da banner?" Jack called out to David as he headed out the door.

"Carry the banner!" David said in response.

"Bye, Cowboy!" Les shouted out to him. And with that, Jack was gone for the night. Les looked over at the mending Charlie, then he got an idea. He pulled out his wooden sword, and tucked it in bed with her underneath her arm.

"Goodnight, Charlie," he said to her. The family all smiled at Les' nice gesture.

Outside, Jack was looking up at the winter sky. The snow had now curtailed into a flurry, and it made him think about the cold weather and its impact it was having on Charlie. He softly began to sing to himself,

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><p><em>So the Christmas bells is ringin'<em>

_And the holidays is near_

_And the smell of gingerbread is in the air_

_Everyone is makin' wishes_

_And enjoyin' Christmas cheer_

_And I dream about a faraway somewhere_

_Snowy days, they got charm_

_They could make some people happy_

_Jack Frost sure can make kids frolic, laugh and play_

_But for me, I'd use this season to hitch a ride on Santa's sleigh_

_And I'll imagine I am bound for Santa Fe_

_I'd be free, in the wind, headed for the warmer weather_

_I don't care if all the snow is far away_

_Though I love the holiday season, for warm deserts I'll make way_

_Dreams come true, yes they do, in Santa Fe_

_Why is it Christmas always gives ya frostbite_

_Why do you always have to freeze for Yule_

_The holidays should be a time for warmin'_

_Be it hearts or cookies, not snowstormin'_

_Trapped in a freezin' prison_

_I'm only seventeen_

_This cold weather's bein' way too cruel_

_If dis cold don't seem to suit ya,_

_How 'bout a change of scene?_

_Far from this hypothermia_

_And other problems in between_

_Santa Fe_

_Are you there_

_Do you swear ya won't forget me_

_If I found you would you let me come and stay?_

_I ain't gettin' any younger_

_And before my dying day_

_I want space_

_Not just air_

_Let 'em laugh in my face, I don't care_

_Save a place_

_I'll be there_

_I'll say bye to freezin' weather_

_And I'll wait for Santa's sleigh_

_And tonight I'll keep my dream of_

_Santa Fe_

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><p>As Jack approached the lodging house, he met up with a familiar face. It wasn't a happy one.<p>

"What's da matter, Race?" Jack inquired.

"Don't ask." Racetrack grumbled as he breathed heavily.

"Bad day at the tracks?" Jack asked him. "Lose another bet?"

"…cancelled on account of da snow…cancelled on account of da snow…" Racetrack chanted to himself. Finally, he shrieked, "CANCELLED ON ACCOUNT OF DA SNOW!" Jack stepped away a bit from the outburst. "I hate da snow!" he whined. "Had today's races not been cancelled, I would'a bought you all some great gifts! But I ended up with nuttin'."

A thought struck Jack's head. "Well, have you ever considered at least, well, makin' gifts?"

"Makin' me own gifts?" The young gambler asked him. "I don't wanna steal business from the toymakers or nothin'."

Jack reassured, "You don't have to, it could be anything!"

Racetrack asked, "Anything? Okay, uh, I'll try."

Their thoughts on gifts were suddenly interrupted by the calling of "Hey, fellas!" Crutchy hobbled over to them, his arm full of wood scraps from everywhere. "Look at all da wood I found everywhere!"

Jack and Racetrack looked at Crutchy with excitement and delight. "Dat's almost enough to build our tree! Nice job, Crutchy!" Racetrack exclaimed.

"And don't worry, here's plenty more where dat came from!" Crutchy said in delight as the three of them entered the lodging house.

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><p>AN: As I always say, guys, what do you think? Good? Bad? Neutral? How was the song part? Let me know in a review! I love reviews, like many other FF writers do! I'm always looking for criticism! Also, a big thanks for my writing buddy Swimming Poole for help on this!


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